Unorthodox
by daughter-of-the-heavens
Summary: AU. Hinata is surrounded by literal mavericks, from her bodyguard of a cousin, to her fighter of a roommate, to her tempest of a friend. Naturally, she's gotten keenly observant and positively diplomatic-she has to with such unorthodox companions. M-lang
1. Back to School

hey, kids. i'm back...well sort of. again, apologies to my "love is a battlefield" readers. my computer died as i was finishing the next chapter and i lost the whole thing. if you've ever had it happen, you know it's really hard to rewrite something after you liked the first version. so, never fear, it will come out eventually—i promise. in the meantime, here's a story starter. it'd be really awesome if you guys could review and tell me if you'd like this to go Neji x Tenten or Shikamaru x Temari cause i'm willing to try my hand at both. and i'd just love to hear your opinion :) enjoy.

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Hinata yanked the navy sweater over her head and fixed her hair in the mirror. What had she been thinking letting Sakura and Ino put blue highlights in it? Well, technically, she hadn't been thinking anything. They'd kind of sort of drug her into the salon and paid for it, claiming it was a birthday present. Only her birthday had been a month before that. She sighed. It wasn't so bad—the color was dulling.

She jumped at the buzzing noise. Oh. Right. Neji must be there already. With a quick adjustment to her hem, she grabbed her black messenger back and slung it over her shoulder. Phone in one hand, chapstick in the other, she stumbled out of the bedroom.

"Coming nii-san!" she called, hoping he heard her through the door. Snatching a vanilla yogurt granola bar from the basket on the counter and stuffing it, half open, into her mouth, she fished a vitamin water out of the fridge and bolted to the door. Loosing the chain with a tiny clack and turning the lock, she opened the door.

"Good morning, Hinata-sama. Are you ready for class?"

She nodded, suddenly very embarrassed that she hadn't waited to eat the granola bar. He sighed almost indulgently and made to beckon her out. She took a step towards fresh air before he stopped her.

"You need a coat, Hinata-sama," Neji commented in his usual monotone.

The granola bar still in place, she turned and fished a light black overcoat from the coat rack behind her rather than protest that it was too warm for a coat. He held the door for her once again, and Hinata stepped out into the spring sunshine. The grass was green and there was a breeze and Mr. Sun had come out to play—today would be a good day. The click told her Neji had locked the door. His soft footsteps behind her prompted her to make her way to the usual silver car.

She gave a huff of frustration around the vanilla goodness when Neji wouldn't even let her open the door by herself. Once she was seated and could actually pull her breakfast out of her mouth, she turned to him and pouted, as she had never been able to cultivate a glare that could even hope to compare to her roommate's.

"Neij nii-san, I am fully capable of opening a car door without breaking something," she muttered.

"I promised Hyuuga-sama that I would chauffeur you to school and back. That is part of the job description." Hinata wasn't one to be easily annoyed, but Neji had a surprising tendency to pick at just the right nerves. She wasn't a china doll.

"Oto-san isn't here to know whether you open my door or not," she pointed out, pulling the belt across her lap. He turned the key and the engine thrummed to life.

"Nevertheless," he stated, effectively ending the conversation. She ignored him in favor of her breakfast. Mmmm...vanilla...

"Where is your roommate this morning?"

Hinata looked at him, slightly surprised. She wasn't even aware that Neji had actually noticed her roommate. But then he was playing bodyguard every day anyway; she supposed that he thought he should notice that kind of thing.

"Tenten had an 8:30 class so she rode the metro," Hinata explained, unscrewing her vitamin water. As she turned the bottle in her hands, Hinata's expression brightened further yet—she'd grabbed strawberry-kiwi. Today was definitely a good day.

"Ah," Neji offered in response. "Your world affairs class is first, correct?" He was so stiff, Hinata thought, murmuring a yes around her bottle. He gently brought the car to a halt at the red light. She needed to get him to focus on something besides taking care of her. Sure, she loved her cousin, but he could be very...overbearing. She bit her lip; that was a bit harsh of her—he was just trying to keep her safe. After all, Oto-san had only agreed to let her go to school in Tokyo because he trusted Neji to watch out for her. She owed Neji a lot of her freedom.

"Thanks, Neji," she murmured softly, twisting the bottlecap in her fingers.

"Huh?"

"For coming with me to Tokyo."

"No thanks needed, nii-chan," he replied softly, eyes fixed on the road. Hinata traded the giggle in her throat for a sweet smile; Neji was only this sentimental around her.

"Do you have class today?" she asked, steering the conversation to more comfortable subjects. Neji didn't like being sentimental; she was pretty sure he thought he needed to be a stoic, obedient bodyguard all the time.

"I have a chemistry lab and world literature," he scrunched his nose at the literature. Neji was definitely a sciences person; there was a method and a reason to everything. Sometimes she thought he was too logical, but if he were not, he wouldn't be Neji.

"I'm sure you'll survive lit," she encouraged, just a touch of teasing in her voice.

"Survive to be sure," he sighed. "On the other hand, sleep is a distinct possibility." Hinata did giggle at that.

He pulled up at the edge of campus nearest her class. She heard him pop the automatic locks and grabbed her things. As she swung the door open and set her foot on the curb, she heard him ask, "Cell?"

"Of course. I'll call you when I'm done. Does your lab run through lunch?"

"Unfortunately, so I'll see you at the end of the day, Hinata-sama," he lapsed back into the formal.

"Bye then, nii-san. Have a good day." She shut the door gently and half-skipped down to the commons lawn.

"Hinata-chan!" Hinata whirled at her name.

"Ah! Temari-san," she smiled brightly. The blonde stretched from her perch under the tree and made her way over.

"I haven't seen you since last week," she half-scowled. "World affairs is fucking boring without you." Hinata tried not to flinch at the cursing; she had a sneaking suspicion Temari cursed as much as she did because she knew it put Hinata on edge.

"Sorry. There was a last minute financial negotiation, and oto-san wanted me to sit in on the proceedings."

Temari jammed her hands in the pockets of her raggedy black pleated skirt. "I always forget that you're the heiress to that huge beast."

"You mean Hyuga International. Although it does devour my time like a beast. I'm sure that after graduate school I won't even have a life," she sighed, fiddling with her messenger bag strap.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," the older woman promised, tiny fan earrings tinkling as she shook her head emphatically. Hinata smiled at her gratefully then frowned.

"You might have to fight Neji for me, though."

"He still opening doors for you like we haven't left the 1900's?"

"He means well..." Hinata fought to defend Neji. He did mean well after all, but sometimes...

"It's irritating," Temari shrugged. Hinata tried not to be offended; Temari was very blunt about her opinions. "Women like you and me, we aren't made to be protected." Hinata looked puzzled at the comparison—she and Temari were very far from alike. Temari caught the unspoken question seamlessly:

"Well, I'm so jagged and sharp that nobody dares to touch me, but you, you're..." Temari paused for the right words, pursing her lips. "You're like polished diamond—beautiful but almost unbreakable." She grinned, satisfied with her description. Temari was an insightful woman; maybe someday Hinata could convince her to work for her. She'd be a wonderful aggressive negotiator—contradictory though that sounded.

"We should get to class," Hinata nodded at the suddenly flow of people across the campus. Temari shrugged, readjusted her own messenger bag, and made for the building. Hinata followed her black knee-high boots until Temari scowled and dragged her up so they were walking alongside each other.

"I'm not a fucking mother duck, so don't you act like a duckling, Hinata-chan," Temari reprimanded. As if anyone would ever mistake her for the warm, motherly type, Hinata thought, amused. All my friendships are so completely unorthodox, she laughed to herself as Temari shoved some boy out of her way.

"Move it, moron!" the blonde called by way of explanation, ignoring his protests. "Boys are such fucking idiots!" she muttered under her breath. Hinata offered a half-meant apology to the young man and rushed to catch up to her brazen friend. Definitely unorthodox.

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so, let me know which way you want this to go. please? cause i want to keep writing it. if you happen to be the only reviewer, you might get to decide all by yourself. so, review! please.


	2. Beware the Twins of Terror

still waiting on those reviews, kids. how can 28 of you have read it and nobody bothered to review? goodness, i just wanted to know which direction. so, REVIEW. please?

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In honor of Hinata's return to the campus, Ino and Sakura had decided to plan a party, which, Hinata noted, could be okay, only it was _Ino and Sakura_ who were planning it, which meant that all bets were off. By the end of her night, she might have orange hair, and there was a good chance Ino would be smashed and Sakura yelling indecent things about Hinata's single status. Dear god. And she thought her birthday party had been bad.

Since it was only a few weeks after spring break, the homework load wasn't insane, so she had agreed, well, nodded under duress, that a weeknight was perfectly acceptable, as in tonight. Temari had arrived to lunch, very puzzled as to why the heiress had been banging her head on the picnic table. Hinata mournfully explained that it might have something to do with the way Ino's hands had been clenching hers so hard that when he picked her up Neji had scowled and demanded to know why her hands were bright red, all while the blonde had proclaimed how much fun said party would be as Sakura had clung to her like a pitiful child, welling up those green eyes with tears, telling Hinata how much she had missed her and why couldn't they throw a party because they loved her and it wasn't fair to deny them all the chance to celebrate her return. Temari, who had firmly established her place at Hinata's side only since the beginning of second semester and had not yet met the twins of terror, could only quirk an eyebrow and suggest that it couldn't be that bad. Rather than attempt to argue the point, Hinata laid her head against the textured wood and sighed, "Wait and see."

Like a good friend, Temari had assured Hinata that she would not leave her to the wolves, and as Gaara would probably make it onto the list as a friend of Sakura's boyfriend, she would come too. And that was how she had come to slump against the door of her apartment, sprawled in a most unladylike manner, not even bothering to turn on the lights. She could see a strip of light from around the corner where the balcony was. Somebody must be—

"Hinata-chan?" she heard her roommate call just as Tenten bounded around the corner, decked out in khaki cargoes and a fuchsia tanktop, pint of Ben & Jerry's in hand. She hurtled to a stop in front of the Hyuga heiress, and Hinata looked up at her despairingly. "What's up? Why are you on the floor?" Her fingers flashed out to flip on the lights. Hinata squinted at the sudden brightness.

"You remember when you swore off parties for eternity after my birthday party?" the heiress tried to put it lightly. In fact, maybe she shouldn't even have brought that up, she realized, trying to heave herself off the floor. Tenten offered her hand, and Hinata tried not to stumble into her roommate and knock her flat. Another approach then. "You look nice today," Hinata offered diplomatically.

"Um...thanks," Tenten mumbled, then stopped, fixing her with that almost patented glare that said 'what-the-hell-are-you-up-to-and-you-had-better-not-be-ruining-my-lovely-day,' and demanded, "What are you trying to get me to do?"

"Come with me?" Hinata grabbed Tenten by her shoulders.

"Where?" Tenten failed to dislodge herself, as Hinata dug her fingers in further.

"There's a party tonight and I have to go," Hinata explained, determined to cling to Tenten until she said yes except—oh my god she was turning into Sakura! She quickly released her roommate with a horrified gasp.

"Are you alright?" Tenten cocked her head, spoon still in her mouth. If she kept this up, Tenten would think she was insane.

Hinata quickly straightened and with a tiny bow quietly asked, "Would you come with me tonight to my welcome home party? Please?"

"What's the catch?" Tenten had obviously learned to fully assess the situation before making any decisions. That was probably Sakura and Ino's fault too.

"Sakura-chan and Ino-chan are the ones planning it," Hinata muttered, prepared for defeat.

"Hell no!!" Tenten half-shouted, jumping back a foot.

"Please? Last time wasn't so bad." This argument had a snowball's chance in hell, Hinata realized, just as she said the words.

"There are facebook pictures that disagree," her roommate protested, yanking the spoon out of her mouth and jamming her fist down on her hip, still clutching her ice-cream. Hinata immediately recalled the karaoke bar with horror, then repressed it as fast as she could.

Upon realizing she had all afternoon to change Tenten's mind, Hinata calmly hung her messenger bag and coat on the rack and walked past her roommate and into the kitchen in her stocking feet. "Ice-cream bars?" she called over her shoulder.

"Back right corner," Tenten's voice carried and she heard a distinctive "flop" noise. Tenten loved that futon. Hinata dug in the recesses of the freezer and fished a chocolate covered delight from within. Unwrapping it, she joined her roommate on the futon, delicately arranging her legs beneath her. There had to be a way to get her roommate there. Temari just wasn't enough protection against Ino and Sakura both.

"What do you want in return, Tenten-chan?" she sighed, trying to remember what it was that she'd bribed Tenten with last time.

"I want another set of knives," Tenten replied nonchalantly, stuffing her mouth full of chocolate ice-cream.

"I bought you one last month!" Hinata exclaimed, although her voice barely rose.

"Well they're dull already," Tenten frowned.

"What do you use those things for?" Unless Tenten was an undercover assassin on the side, Hinata couldn't imagine how on earth the girl went through knives so fast. This would make the seventh box this school year.

"My art," Tenten replied cryptically, cat's grin stretching across her face.

"In other words...?"

"You don't ask, buy me some knives, and I save you from Sakura."

It was the best offer she would get, so Hinata nodded. It was a small price to pay for her peace of mind. "Deal."

"Tonight is going to be hell," Tenten noted solemnly, before shoveling more ice-cream into her mouth.

Hinata didn't contradict her.

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please please review. i'm trying to leave the pairing as open as i can, but i need some input! btw, if anybody is super OOC in this, tell me right away. i want to honor masashi kishimoto's work. let me know if you like this! thanks!


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